QURAN
Linguistic Meaning
Quran root word is QARA’A meaning
read or recite. Hence, Quran means
“the reading” or the “recitation”
“ And (it is) a Quran which We have divided
(into parts), in order that you might recite it
to men at intervals” 17:106
Content of the Quran
114 chapters
6207 verses*
77,934 words*
Main themes:
– Creed or matters of Belief (Aqeedah)
– Stories and History
– Laws
MIRACLES OF THE HOLY QUR’AN
Preliminary Details
oRevealed to the Prophet from the start
of his mission to the end of his life.
i.e. 40th year of his life up to the
28th of Safar
Preliminary Details – Cont’d…
o First Ayats revealed were the first 5 Ayats of
Sura Iqra.
o 114 Surahs in the Holy Qur’an
o Two types of Surahs
o Makki – (shorter Surahs) describe the matters of
basic faith:
 Refutation of paganistic beliefs
 Evidence of the Oneness of Allah
 His Attributes
 Proof of the resurrection on the Day of
Judgment
 Prophethood
 Building good character… etc.
Two types of Surahs – Con’td…
 Madani – (longer Surahs) mostly describe:
 Code of life
 Rules of Shariat
 Prayers
 Fasting
 Khums
 Zakat… etc.
Writing and Collection of the Holy
Qur’an
o Qur’an was committed to writing from the
very beginning.
o There are numerous Ayats in which the Qur’an is
called Al-Kitab (meaning the written thing; the
book)
o Prophet used to repeat what Jibrael revealed to
him, as to not forget.
o “Do not move your tongue with it to hasten it.
Indeed it is up to Us to put it together and to recite it.
(Al-Qiyamah - 75:16-17)
Compilation of Quran
 It is said that each verse was recited by prophet Muhammad
before His companions.
 It was generally committed to writing on stones, leather, palm
leaves and such other things.
 Thus there were two processes to preserve Quran
 Writing
 Memory
 Caliph Umar requested Abu Bakr to get it compiled in writing,
after the death of Caliph Abu bakr, the copy remained with
Caliph Umar
 After his death copy remained with Hazrat Hafsa(Daughter of
Caliph Umar)
 Hazrat Usman then set up a committee consisting of leading
companions of Prophet and made copies of Original Quran.
 It was then when Quran was compiled
Writing and Collection of the Holy
Qur’an-Cont’d…
o Writers of the Holy Qur’an
 Ali ibn Abi Talib
 Ubayy bin Ka’b
 Abdullah bin Rawaha
 Khalid bin Said bin Al-Aas
 At a later period : Zaid bin Thabait among
others
The Holy Qur’an being free from
Discrepancies
o “Do they not contemplate the Qu’ran? Had it
been from (someone) other than Allah, they
would have surely found many
discrepancies.” (Al-Nisa -4:82)
The Holy Qur’an – A Miracle
Performer
o The Holy Qur’an is a:
 Miracle of Language and Style
 Miracle of Prophecies
 Miracle of Scientific Revelations
The Holy Qur’an – A Miracle
Performer-Cont’d …
o The Holy Qur’an is not only a Miracle; It is a
Miracle Performer :
o It brought out the Miracle of transforming an
extremely ignorant and backward society into
the guardians of knowledge and learning.
Miracle of Language
o This is the greatest miracle of the Qur’an
o Arabs at the time of the Prophet were extremely
proud of their language.
 Poets and eloquent speakers were idols of
their tribes.
 There used to be a yearly poetry
competition where everyone came and
recited
Miracle of Language
 But the Qur’an came, and to their surprise, its Miracle
was its language. And Allah challenged them:
 “Say, ‘Should all human beings and jinn rally to
bring the like of this Qur’an, they will not bring the
like of it, even if the assisted one another.’” (AlIsra 17:88)
 “Do they say, ‘He has fabricated it?’ Say, ‘Then
bring ten Surahs like it, fabricated, and invoke
whomever you can, besides Allah, should you be
truthful.’” (Hud 11:13)
Miracle of Prophecies
o When the Prophet was in Mecca, a war broke out
between the Romans and the Persians. The
Persians were victorious in this battle, which made
the Meccans extremely happy since the Persians
were idolaters.
 “Byzantium has been vanquished in a
nearby territory, but following their defeat
they will be victors in a few years.” (Ar-Rum
30:2-4)
 In a few years, the Romans defeated the
Persians.
Miracle of prophecies
o When the Prophet was about to Migrate to
Medina, he was extremely sad because he was
leaving his home.
– “Indeed He who has revealed to you the
Qur’an will surely restore you to the place of
return. Say, ‘My Lord knows best him who
brings guidance and him who is in manifest
error.’” (Al-Qasas 28:85)
– Prophet returned victoriously to Mecca in a
few years
Miracle of Scientific Revelations
 Life
– The Human Embryonic Development
– The description of the development of the
human baby is described in several places in
the Holy Qur’an
o “He creates you in the womb of your
mothers, creation after creation, in a
threefold darkness. That is Allah, your
Lord!” (Al-Zumar 39:6)
The Origin of Life in Water
 The idea of life originating in the oceans is strongly
supported in the Holy Qur’an.
o “…And We made every living thing out of water…” (AlAnbiya 21:30)
o “Allah created every animal from water” (Al-Nur 24:45)
 “…it is believed that early forms of life developed in
oceans or pools…It has been suggested that the
colonization of land, about 425,000,000 years ago, was
possible only because enough ozone was then
produced to shield the surface from ultraviolet light for
the first time.” (Encyclopedia Brittanica)
The Ongoing Process of Creation
 There are verses in the Holy Qur’an which indicate
that Allah has not ‘finished’ creation; rather, it is
an ongoing process.
o “…and He creates what you do not know.” (AlNahl 16:8)
o “…Allah creates whatever He wishes. Indeed
Allah has power over all things.” (Al-Nur 24:45)
 The emergence of new galaxies from huge
clouds of nebulae.
 The evolution of species.
The Cerebrum
 Allah said in the Holy Qur’an about one of the
unbelievers who forbade the Holy Prophet
from praying at the kaaba:
o “…If he does not stop, We shall seize him
by the Naseyah (front of the head), a lying,
sinful Naseyah!” (Al-Alaq 96:15)
The Cerebrum - Cont’d…
This area of the cerebrum (from of the head) is responsible for
motivating, planning, and initiating good and sinful behavior, and
is responsible for the telling of lies and the speaking of the truth.
The Origin of the Universe
 One of the most popular and widely accepted
theories in science is the Big Bang Theory.
o This theory states that the universe was
created from a small dot of energy that
exceeds our imagination.
o This dot of energy exploded creating the
necessary material for the creation of the
universe.
o With the passage of time, Hydrogen and
Helium atoms began to combine and create
galaxies, stars and planets.
The Origin of the Universe–Cont’d...
 Scientists can now observe new stars
forming out of the remnants of that ‘smoke’.
o “Then He turned to the heaven, and it was
smoke…” (Fussilat 41:11)
The Origin of the Universe-Cont’d…
 Because the earth and the heavens above
(sun, moon, stars…) have been formed
from this same ‘smoke’, we can conclude
that the earth and the heavens were one
connected entity.
o “Have the faithless not regarded that the
heavens and the earth were interwoven
and We disjoined them…” (Al-Anbiya
21:30)
Holy Quran is a guidance for
mankind
 Surah al Baqara
 This is the scripture whereof there is no doubt, a
guidance unto those who ward off (evil)
 Surah Al Imran
 This is a declaration for mankind, a guidance and an
admonition unto those who ward off (Evil)
 Surah Al – Hijr
 We have, without doubt, sent down the Message, and
will assuredly Guard it(from corruption)
Importance of Holy Quran
 It is unique document of historical value
 An encyclopedia of laws & regulations
 Complete code of life
 Holy Quran had a very strong impact on the lives of
humanity that it just took 23 years for the illiterate
Arabs to transform to Muslims.
 It deals with all the man requires from the cradle to
the grave.
 It offers the most Scientific, Economic, Social,
Political systems that are unique in the world.
“He in whose heart there is nothing of the Quran is
like a house in ruin.”
The Distinctive Feature of Quran
 The undeniable fact:
 It affirms and complete the total process of
revelation which has come.
 God Says in Surah Al- Maidah
This day We have perfected your religion and
completed My favor( 5:3)
 Surah Al – Ala
That the truth mentioned by Quran was also
contained in the earlier scriptures of Abraham
and Moses.
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Purpose of Being
Humanity
Education
Rights of Women
Religious Tolerance
Justice
The values of enlightened
consensus of mankind
 Equality, dignity & brotherhood of man.
 Value of universal education with emphasis on spirit of free
enquiry and importance of scientific knowledge.
 Practice of religious tolerance
 Women's liberation & her spiritual equality with man.
 Freedom from slavery and exploitations of all kinds
 Dignity of manual labor
 Integration of mankind in a feeling of oneness irrespective of
their differences of race & color (But on the basis of moral and
spiritual values)
 The devaluation of arrogance and pride based on the
superiority of color, race, wealth. Foundation of society on
Justice for all.
 Rejection of the philosophy of asceticism
Teachings of Quran
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Righteousness
Simple Life
Education
Thinking, pondering and rationalizing
Discriminate among values
Time and again it calls for us to look at the phenomenon of
nature and of creation
Then to see the signs of Lord
Day & Night
Sun & Moon
Mountains, Rivers, Fruits, Seasons
Dead earth becoming alive after the rainfall
Pairs (two of every kind)
Quran & its meaning
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The message of Quran is therefore for the world.
Some how or the other world is following. the message that it brought.
It is the most widely Book read and practiced.
Another important claim that it makes is not just the reading of this
Book
Rather Understanding and application of it on our lives.
and our conduct.
Therefore, just reading and reciting the Arabic verses is not enough
rather understanding the message that it contains matters.
Even in Arabic if we analyze, we find that the Arabic used in Quran is
very simple one and just a lay man if intends to understand may
understand it.
It is also a Book of Hope that presents us the image of our creator who
forgives us and protects us against our own follies.
END NOTE
“Had We sent down this Qur’an upon a
mountain, you would have surely seen it
humbled (and) go to pieces with the fear
of Allah. We draw such comparisons for
mankind, so that they may reflect.” (AlHashr 59:21)